Injury patterns in professional motorbike racing: a retrospective analysis of 728 falls

In professional motorbike racing falls with high velocities are common. Nonetheless, severe injuries or deaths are rare when compared to regular road traffic.

In this study, falls in all courses of the largest German race series IDM*Superbike between 2007 and 2013 were analyzed regarding injury patterns and hospital admissions. All races were accompanied by a medical team, including at least one physician who assessed every patient.

A total of 728 falls were included. A specific fall mechanism could be determined in 45.5% of the cases. 40.5% were admitted to a trauma center for further diagnostics. A definitive diagnosis was found in 45.4%. In most cases (29.9%) the injury pattern was a fracture of the extremities. In collisions a significantly higher odds ratio of 2.52 (P=0.0001) and in undetermined falls a significantly lower odds ratio of 0.47 (P<0.0001) was observed.

Fall patterns in professional motorbike racing do not significantly correlate with the severity of the injury. Thus, as in regular patient evaluation, each patient has to be examined thoroughly to avoid misinterpretation.